Estrons and Amber Arcades to headline gigs at Esquires

David Jackson

Esquires is gearing up for Independent Venue Week which takes place across the country this month.

Amber Arcades will be playing at the Bedford venue as part of the annual event which looks to champion small venues across the country.

Ahead of IVW, on Saturday, January 21, Welsh noiseniks Estrons will bring their ferocious brand of indie rock to the venue.

Often compared to Honeyblood and Wolf Alice at their most feral, Estrons (which is Welsh for 'aliens') spent 2016 touring with Slaves and headlined the BBC Introducing Stage at the South By South West festival in Texas at request of Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens.

They also released a series of supercharged singles and were named by both the NME and Gigwise as one of the bands to watch in 2017.

On Monday, January 23, Amber Arcades headline.

The moniker of Dutch born musician Annelotte de Graaf, Amber Arcades, released their debut album Fading Light in June last year on Heavenly to universal acclaim.

A shimmering mix of shoegaze, dream pop melodies and electronica, it took its influences from the likes of Cocteau Twins, Beach House and Stereolab and was given the accolade as one of the best LPs of the year by the likes of Rough Trade and Piccadilly Records.

Now in its 4th year, Independent Venue Week seeks to celebrate and raise awareness of music venues across the country.

Esquires owner Gareth Barber said: “Small Independent venues are lifeblood of the UK music scene and are where the festival headliners of tomorrow learn their craft.

“This is perhaps especially true of Esquires when you consider bands such as Muse, Coldplay and Biffy Clyro have all played here.

“Independent Venue week is all about supporting your local music venue.

“The last few years have been tough for venues and we can’t exist without the patronage of our community.

“We have some brilliant new bands playing here in January and although I can’t guarantee they will all go on to headline Glastonbury, chances are someone playing here in 2017 will.’

Tickets for both gigs cost £7 and £8 respectively and are available from www.seetickets.com or directly from the venue.

For more information about IVW visit visit http://www.independentvenueweek.com